New Laws Target Rising Drug Problems In Oklahoma

NewsOn6.com

UNDATED – New laws aimed at halting increasing drug problems in Oklahoma take effect Monday, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said.

House Bill 3380 creates the nation's first Meth Offender Registry, according to Mark Woodward, spokesman for the OBN. The law "prohibits anyone with a meth conviction from purchasing or possessing Pseudoephedrine tablets, the primary ingredient for manufacturing meth."

If someone on the Meth Registry attempts to purchase pseudoephedrine at a pharmacy, the computer system will block the sale," Woodward said. "The system will alert OBN of the blocked sale which could initiate an investigation."

Woodward said Oklahoma is the first state to create a Meth Offender Registry.

Another law taking effect Monday is House Bill 3241, which outlaws "K2," also called "Spice."  The produce is sold in stores or on the Internet as "legal cannabis".

"K2 is a blend of herbs that have been sprayed or applied with 3 synthetic compound chemicals which mimic the effects of smoking marijuana," said Woodward. "Our new law doesn't ban the herbs, but rather it places the 3 synthetic chemicals applied to the herbs as Schedule I illegal substances in Oklahoma."

A third law, House Bill 2529, will allow the OBN to identify new drug trends, like K2, more quickly, according to Darrell Weaver, Director of the OBN.

"Hospital emergency rooms around the state will report to the Bureau of Narcotics any non-fatal drug overdose occurrences around the state. The information will be limited to statistical information including county where the overdose occurred, age, race, gender, type of controlled substance involved in the nonfatal overdose and the method in which the controlled dangerous substance was obtained by the person when available," Weaver said. "No person's identity or personal information will be disclosed."